Waverly weary but winning
WAVERLY — The Waverly volleyball team is tired, but taking a break right now isn’t an option.
Fresh off a 5-1 performance and third-place showing in the Twin Cities Invitational in Scottsbluff and Gering over the weekend, the Vikings advanced to tonight’s semifinals of the Eastern Midlands Conference Tournament with a 25-12, 25-23, 27-25 first-round victory against Blair on Monday.
When Waverly plays host to Platteview tonight, it will be the Vikings’ eighth match in five days, with an 800-mile round trip to western Nebraska thrown in.
“It was so much fun to go out there and play well,’’ said senior middle blocker Anne Martin, who slammed 12 kills and registered four ace blocks Monday. She had 47 kills (.411 hitting efficiency), 12 ace blocks and four ace serves in the Twin Cities Invitational.
“We want to carry that over to the conference tournament,’’ Martin said. “We need rest, but we’d definitely rather win and play than lose and sit.”
Waverly (17-8) has won 11 of its last 12 matches to pop into the Class B rankings at No. 9. The only loss during that string came to second-ranked Northwest over the weekend.
After rolling through the first set against the Bears on Monday, Waverly needed some late heroics in the second and third sets to complete the sweep.
The second set was tied at 22 when Waverly finally got some breathing room with a right-side kill from sophomore Amanda Boender and a free ball termination by Nicole Echtenkamp. A Waverly hitting error saved one set point for Blair to make it 24-23 before Echtenkamp finished it with a left-side kill.
The Vikings had to wipe out three set points against them trailing 24-21 in the third set. Senior left-hander Lauren Wright erased the first with a kill from the left side. Then Martin tied it when she skied for back-to-back kills in the middle over the block off quick sets from Meredith Herring.
A Blair hitting error put Waverly at match point, but Erin Reeh kept the Bears in it with a point-ending tip to tie it. A Bear attack that landed wide, followed by a kill in the middle by Boender, finally ended it.
Boender finished with 12 kills. Herring put up 31 assists to go with two kills and four ace serves.
“I was hoping to get this over in three because Blair was getting better and better as the night went on and we started looking tired out there,” Waverly coach Terri Neujahr said. “It’s always grueling going out there for that tournament and then coming back and playing the conference tournament (first round) on Monday. But the kids love playing out there because we see new teams that we never see during the season.”
Waverly seems to be hitting its stride after what Neujahr described as a “disappointing” start to the season. The Vikings returned four starters and their libero from last year’s 21-12 team. Three of them — Martin, Herring and Wright — are now in their third year as starters.
But Waverly was 6-6 in its first 12 matches. The Vikings split their first two meetings with Platteview, tonight’s opponent.
“We were inconsistent early in the season, but now everything is clicking together,’’ Herring said. “We’ve figured out what we need to do.’’
Martin, a Class B state high jump and long jump champion in track, has turned into an all-state-caliber player with her fast arm swing and ability to attack over the block.
“Those three seniors connect really well,’’ Neujahr said. “Anne is difficult to stop if we get the ball in the right place for her. She’s a great track athlete who’s turned into a great volleyball player.”
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
Fresh off a 5-1 performance and third-place showing in the Twin Cities Invitational in Scottsbluff and Gering over the weekend, the Vikings advanced to tonight’s semifinals of the Eastern Midlands Conference Tournament with a 25-12, 25-23, 27-25 first-round victory against Blair on Monday.
When Waverly plays host to Platteview tonight, it will be the Vikings’ eighth match in five days, with an 800-mile round trip to western Nebraska thrown in.
“It was so much fun to go out there and play well,’’ said senior middle blocker Anne Martin, who slammed 12 kills and registered four ace blocks Monday. She had 47 kills (.411 hitting efficiency), 12 ace blocks and four ace serves in the Twin Cities Invitational.
“We want to carry that over to the conference tournament,’’ Martin said. “We need rest, but we’d definitely rather win and play than lose and sit.”
Waverly (17-8) has won 11 of its last 12 matches to pop into the Class B rankings at No. 9. The only loss during that string came to second-ranked Northwest over the weekend.
After rolling through the first set against the Bears on Monday, Waverly needed some late heroics in the second and third sets to complete the sweep.
The second set was tied at 22 when Waverly finally got some breathing room with a right-side kill from sophomore Amanda Boender and a free ball termination by Nicole Echtenkamp. A Waverly hitting error saved one set point for Blair to make it 24-23 before Echtenkamp finished it with a left-side kill.
The Vikings had to wipe out three set points against them trailing 24-21 in the third set. Senior left-hander Lauren Wright erased the first with a kill from the left side. Then Martin tied it when she skied for back-to-back kills in the middle over the block off quick sets from Meredith Herring.
A Blair hitting error put Waverly at match point, but Erin Reeh kept the Bears in it with a point-ending tip to tie it. A Bear attack that landed wide, followed by a kill in the middle by Boender, finally ended it.
Boender finished with 12 kills. Herring put up 31 assists to go with two kills and four ace serves.
“I was hoping to get this over in three because Blair was getting better and better as the night went on and we started looking tired out there,” Waverly coach Terri Neujahr said. “It’s always grueling going out there for that tournament and then coming back and playing the conference tournament (first round) on Monday. But the kids love playing out there because we see new teams that we never see during the season.”
Waverly seems to be hitting its stride after what Neujahr described as a “disappointing” start to the season. The Vikings returned four starters and their libero from last year’s 21-12 team. Three of them — Martin, Herring and Wright — are now in their third year as starters.
But Waverly was 6-6 in its first 12 matches. The Vikings split their first two meetings with Platteview, tonight’s opponent.
“We were inconsistent early in the season, but now everything is clicking together,’’ Herring said. “We’ve figured out what we need to do.’’
Martin, a Class B state high jump and long jump champion in track, has turned into an all-state-caliber player with her fast arm swing and ability to attack over the block.
“Those three seniors connect really well,’’ Neujahr said. “Anne is difficult to stop if we get the ball in the right place for her. She’s a great track athlete who’s turned into a great volleyball player.”
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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